Can Someone be "Too Conservative" to Run for Public Office?
I've heard this statement far too often by too many people. I have to address this issue.
Every time I hear this from people I know, the lamestream media or strangers I bump into around Town I have to cringe and grit my teeth alittle bit. It bothers me and rubs me the wrong way big time!
The term "Too Conservative" doesn't make any sense to me at all.
How can anyone be considered or labeled "Too Conservative"?
I honestly believe that you're either Conservative or you're not.
Being called "Too Conservative" by someone is the same as being called "Too American" or "Too Patriotic".
If someone is claiming to be a Conservative and campaigning on Conservative Principles, what's the problem?
Why are some challenging this candidate?
If someone is campaigning as a Conservative and fights for Limited Government, Cutting Taxes and Free Market Solutions for the problems facing America today, What's the problem?
Why are some still challenging this candidate?
If someone is campaigning on Limited, Responsible and Constitutional Government, What's the problem?
Why are some still challenging this candidate?
I still hear some people say things like "Palin shouldn't run for President because she's Too Conservative" or "Christine O'Donnell didn't win her Senate seat because she was Too Conservative" I think these are very ignorant or naive statements to make. Especially if you identify yourself as a Conservative, a Tea Party Patriot a Republican or a right leaning independent. This is just unacceptable language out of an educated, informed and intelligent person to say. Those who know should know better than to allow such foolishness slip out of our mouths.
What makes people say such foolish things like this anyways?
These people in the media or around town in your personal life who say things like this expose themselves as the people who are not Conservative enough or Patriotic enough or American enough to boldly stand up and defend Conservative Principles as they know they should be. It's their guilty Conscience for their lack of articulation or crediable defense of Conservatism that makes them say things like this.
I think it stems from lack of a solid foundation of what a Conservative is, what Conservatism is and what the Tea Party Movement is about. There's no other excuse or reason one could express such nonsense without a strong grasp of what Conservatism is or who a Conservative is.
I know there are many of my so called FaceBook "Friends" on here that claim to be Conservative or challenge my view of Conservatism. That's fine but Conservatism wasn't born yesterday. It has a rich American Proud American History.
June 15, 2009
"Conservatives" Are Single-Largest Ideological Group
Percentage of "liberals" higher this decade than in early '90s
Thus far in 2009, 40% of Americans interviewed in national Gallup Poll surveys describe their political views as conservative, 35% as moderate, and 21% as liberal. This represents a slight increase for conservatism in the U.S. since 2008, returning it to a level last seen in 2004. The 21% calling themselves liberal is in line with findings throughout this decade, but is up from the 1990s.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/120857/conservatives-single-largest-ideological-group.aspx
Election 2010: Polls show that more voters consider themselves conservative
Exit polls showed a surge of voters identifying themselves as conservative. Nationally, the electorate was more conservative than in 2006 by nine percentage points and more so than in 2008 by seven points. Poll findings in swing states mirrored those numbers, with Ohio showing an 11-point rise in conservative voters and Wisconsin a 10-point increase.
Pollsters had been predicting stronger enthusiasm on the right than on the left for much of the year, and the conservative base did not disappoint.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/03/AR2010110305474.html
Just take a Quick Look at the 2010 Mid Term Election Results to See How Well Conservative Tea Party Candidates did on November 2nd 2010. It was "Historic"!
http://news.yahoo.com/page/2010electionsdashboard
Tea Party candidates win key races
NATIONAL RESULTS
November 03, 2010
By Nedra Pickler, Associated Press
Washington - — Voters embraced the Tea Party's conservative throw-the-bums-out anthem in key races across the country, with the movement's favored candidates taking more than a dozen House seats held by Democrats, three Senate races and the South Carolina governorship.
The movement did not make a complete sweep despite a strong anti-Democratic climate, with the most prominent losses coming from Tea Party stars Christine O'Donnell of Delaware and Sharron Angle of Nevada. Angle couldn't overcome Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and O'Donnell was soundly defeated after old videos emerged of her discussing witchcraft, masturbation and mice with human brains
http://articles.sfgate.com/2010-11-03/news/24810390_1_tea-party-key-races-democrat-chris-coons
'Tea party' candidates win GOP contests in Delaware, New York
In New Hampshire, an establishment-backed Republican appears to be fending off a challenge from the right.
September 15, 2010
By Kathleen Hennessey and Michael A. Memoli, Tribune Washington Bureau
The insurgent "tea party" movement vanquished the Republican Party establishment Tuesday as an underdog candidate for U.S. Senate in Delaware won a primary that had become a national proxy war for the heart of the GOP.
Conservative activist Christine O'Donnell, a perennial candidate with no experience in elective office, defeated longtime Rep. Michael N. Castle — a dramatic finale to a primary season dominated by the small-government movement's revolt against moderate elements of the GOP.
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/sep/15/nation/la-na-primary-roundup-20100915
How did Sarah Palin's Candidates that she Endorsed do in the 2010 Mid Term Elections?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/politics/palin_tracker/
My Main Point about Conservatives and Conservatism is Today's Conservatives are the MAJORITY and the Liberal Democrats are THE CULT MINORITY! That can Not be Stated Enough!
We Who Identify Ourselves as Conservatives or Tea Party Patriots or Conservative Independents or Whatever Need to Find Our backbones and Spines NOW!
We're the Loud, Proud, Vigilant & Resolute Patriots Who are Holding the Line in Defense of what Most of us grew up beleiving in Traditional All-American True Blue Conservative Principles. We have Nothing to be Afraid of or Ashamed of.
We're the Patrick Henrys, Paul Reveres and James Madisons of Our Generation Who are Standing Tall & Speaking Out Against the Big Government, Big Spending Tyrants of Our Time. This is Our Time to Protect Our Families, Friends, Neighbors, Co Workers and Customers by INFORMING & EDUCATING them about the Agenda to Steal Away their Rights, Freedom and Liberty that so Many Have Fought Bravely and Courageously & Died for. We owe it to Past Generations and Future Generations to be Good Stewarts of this Nation. We Owe Our Fore Fathers as Well as Our Future Kids, Grandkids and Great GrandKids to Stay Ever Resolute and Most Vigilant in Our Efforts to Thwart Our Radical Liberal Progressives Who Wish to Change America into something America was Never meant or Intended to become.
Look My Definition of Who a Conservative is:
A Conservative is a Person of Faith Who Believes as the Founding Fathers Believed as Written & Signed in the Declaration of Independence that "All Men are Created Equally, Endowed with Unalienable Rights to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Every Single Signer of the Declaration of Independence Believed in GOD and Creating a Civil Society of Liberty and Freedom of Religion NOT From Religion. The Constitution was Written to Limit Government's Power & Authority with 3 Branches for Checks & Balances. Conservatives are Originalists Who Believe in keeping Government's Power & Authority Enumerated as Defined by THE CONSTITUTION. To be a Conservative, You have to Believe in God, the Constitution and Keeping the Government's Power & Authority Enumerated. Less Government, the Better. Less Taxes, the Better. The Federal Government's Principled Responsibility is to the CITIZEN. Each and Every Single American Citizen should expect it's Government to Provide a Strong National Defense from attacks by both Foreign and Domestic. That is the Form of Government the Founding Fathers Instituted with the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Conservatives Believe as they Believed.
You're either Conservative or You're Not. Forget being a "Constitutional Conservative" or "American Conservative" Those are two silly nonsense Made up Titles. You're either Conservative or You're Not. No Need to put further titles in front of the word Conservative. You either ARE a Conservative or You're Not. Just leave the Word the way it is. It's Fine just Perfect the way it is.
Adding qualifiers does not change who one is, nor should it be necessary. In fact, I tend to get a little suspicious when people feel the need to add qualifiers to their conservative title. Remember GW Bush's 2000 campaign when he adopted and popularized the term "Compassionate Conservative"? I cringed when I first heard that. True conservatives already know that conservatism is compassionate (at least as much as an ideology can be). I know he was trying to reach out to a broader bunch of folks, and maybe it worked. But I was left with feelings along the lines of "if I have to explain it to you, you wouldn't understand". As it turned out, Mr Bush was not the staunch conservative I had hoped he would be, and in fact may be partly responsible for the miserable state of the national GOP with their ongoing reluctance to abandon political moderation and move back to the solid right where they have previously succeeded.
If one is a staunch conservative, they ought to proudly proclaim they are conservative. Without qualifiers. And without apologies.
And then when they are elected, they should prove their conservative credentials every day, regardless of what protests their handlers and the middle-of-the-road GOP throw at them. Because if one is a true conservative, then they should also have the CAJONES to act like one. Do what is conservative, and do what is right (yes, that is redundant). And if they don't, then they don't get my vote again.
We Conservatives are battling a widespread image that to be conservative and to be republican are the same thing. I think the term "republican" is almost meaningless anymore. I don't think the same about the term "Conservative", except when it is viewed (all too often) as synonymous with republican. My answer to that is to make it clear to anyone who cares that I am a conservative but not a republican. That one can be a republican and not be a conservative (which is what comprises a majority of the GOP today).
President Ronald Reagan understood the Power of Words. He framed the debate on HIS Terms.
"How can Limited Government & Fiscal restraint be equated with lack of compassion for the poor? How can a tax break that puts a little more money in the weekly paychecks of working people be seen as an attack on the needy? Since when do we in America believe that our society is made up of two diametrically opposed classes--one rich, one poor--both in a permanent state of conflict & neither able to get ahead except at the expense of the other? Since when do we in America accept this alien & discredited theory of social & class warfare? Since when do we in America endorse the politics of envy & division?”
Reagan dissected the Statist's language & recast the morality of the message. Americans are Not at war with each other over money & class. And when Americans keep the fruits of their labor, it is a Good thing. This is both seminal & fundamental. The Statist's Vocabulary provides the Conservative with opportunities to highlight the Statist's duplicity & the bankruptcy of his ideas by stripping the rhetorical veneer from his message & contrasting it with the wisdom of the Conservative's Principles. The battle over language, like the battle over ideas, is one Conservatives should relish.
There's Probably Some Who are Reading this Note and May think Conservatives are More or Less than What I Described it to be. Some are probably Right and others Wrong. The Great Thing about being a Conservative is WE"RE ALL INDEPENDENT FREE THINKING INDIVIDUALS Who DO Disagree with each other on Many Occassions. That's to be expected with ANY LARGE GROUP of People. No Large Group is Perfect and Nobody can put a Perfect Definition on ANY Large Group. There are Differences but they SHOULD NOT Divide US or Pit one Conservative Against another over Our Differences.
I'm Not Looking for People to Agree with Everything I Say in this Note but to Understand that NOW is NOT the Time or Place in Our History to Bicker and Debate about Our Candidates Who Choose to put their Personal & Private Life on Hold to Campaign/Run as a Conservative for Public Office if We do in Fact Call Ourselves Conservative or Tea Party Patriots or Right Leaning Independents.
It's WRONG! It's Counter Productive and Destructive to the Conservative Movement to Take Back Our Country from the Radical Liberal Progressives Who Wish to Further make America into the Foreign Country it already has become! When it Should NOT have EVER been taken this Far as it is!
What We as Fellow Conservative Patriots Need to be doing and SHOULD be Doing is Supporting, Endorsing, Campaigning for and Donating Our Time and Money for these Candidates instead of Knee-Capping and NaySaying these Candidates Can't Win because they Champion Conservative Principles & Run as OutSpoken Conservatives ala Karl Rove, Chris Christie and National Websites Like NRO and The Weekly Standard. These Candidates Need Our Support, Encouragement, Time and Money More so than the Cookie Cutter GOP Establishment Moderate Types that the GOP Continues to support and back despite the Massive Defeats the GOP took Nationwide in the Mid Term Primaries of 2010.
What Good or Productive Outcome will be Produced from Knocking or Doubting these Conservative Candidates when they Run for Public Office?
I'm Not asking or Telling or Even Preaching to Blindly Follow Any Candidate that Claims to be Conservative when Running for Public Office on their Word but LOOK TO THEIR PRINCIPLES and See Where they Stand on THE ISSUES before Announcing Publicly what Your Concerns or Objections are to these Conservative Candidates. If and When they are found to be Phoney or Frauds, these Candidates Should be and MUST BE Exposed for Who and What they Really are.
I'm Not going to Stand in the way or Obstruct Anyone from saying the TRUTH and Presenting FACTS about Conservative Candidates Who aren't Really Conservatives. We Should be doing this on a Regular Basis and NOT Afraid or Ashamed to do it. Too Many RINO Republicans Like to Claim to be Conservative or Tea Party Candidates in Election Years when it's Fashionable to do so but THEIR PRINCIPLES and STANDS ON THE ISSUES Tell the REAL STORY! That should Remain the FOCUS!
My Final Plea to those Who Still Wish to Say these kinds of Harmful, Destructive and Counter-Productive Statements about Conservative Candidates Who May be Running for Public Office in 2012, Please bit Your Tongue with Your Skepitism about these Future Brave Conservative Candidates. Let's give them the Benefit of a Doubt before Casting Our naysaying Stones of Doubt if they can Win or Not.
America is Ready as Always to Elect Conservatives to Lead this Nation NO MATER WHERE YOU LIVE! I Must Remind You Again that President Ronald Wilson Reagan Lost At both the 1968 and 1974 Republican National Conventions before Beating President Jimmy Carter in 1980 and then Senator Walter Mondale Jimmy Carter's Vice President in 1984 in TWO MASSIVE LANDSLIDE VICTORIES in BLUE STATES, PURPLE STATES as Well as the Red States. Sure Reagan wasn't Perfect and made Mistakes. But Reagan was the Most Popular Modern Day Conservative President EVER Elected! Reagan Should Continue to be the Standard the Future Conservative Candidates Look to. Reagan Proved that America is a Conservative Nation as Long as We have a Strong, Passionate, Articulate and Resolute Conservative Leader Leading it.
Conservative Candidates have lost and Will Loss from time to time just as every other group or category has and does all of the time. Conservatives Can't Win Every Race or Battle but if they're True to their Conservative Principles, We Should be Supporting them with Our Voices, Time and Money. They are Representing YOU, Your Family, Friends, Neighborhoods and this Great Country.
My Point about the Reagan Comparison is that even Our best Example wasn't Successful at first but Stayed the Course & Eventually Won over the American People. That's how Victories are Achieved the Right way in America. Through Hard Work and Tons of Efforts. The Left isn't going to slow down, quit or hand over America to us. We Shouldn't Expect them to either. They Won't. They have a Right to be Wrong in this Country as We Do to be RIGHT but the Difference is We're on the Side of Justice, Freedom, Liberty, Personal Responsibility, Rule of Law and Private Property Rights. While they're Fighting for Bigger Government, More Regulations, More Taxes and Less Personal Responsibility.
We're on the RIGHT SIDE of History! We Will Win the War but We MUST Continue the Battles by Supporting the Solid Conservatives Who Choose to Stand up, Speak Out and Run to Represent Us in Public Office.
Let's Support these Candidates! Not Knock them! Undermine them! Redicule them! Or Underestimate their Effectiveness in the Marketplace of Ideas.
